Reneé’s Top Wines of 2009

2008 Wilson Creek White Cabernet Sauvignon
Temecula Valley, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
This eye-catching blue jewel of a bottle contains surprisingly flavorful juice. Imagine the love child of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat and you have white Cab Sav. I thought it could never be discovered, but leave it to Luke to prove me wrong. The sweet tropical flavors of melon and kiwi blended with a soft oak finish make this an incredibly tasty and fascinating wine. As the bottle reads “a romantic island paradise,” I envision drinking this wine everyday of my honeymoon.
2006 Brazin Old Vine Zinfandel
Lodi, Unk% Zinfandel
Here’s a repeat offender for this year. Ben has purchased this bottle about a half a dozen times from my hometown liquor store, and it grows on me more and more each time. Its dark berry and plum-like mouth feel along with its peppery finish make it a wonderfully smooth wine. Most Zin haters would say, “it’s just jammy fruit with some spice.” However, after sipping a few glasses of this old vine Zin, I bet they could easily be converted because it’s way more complex than that.
2007 Arizona Stronghold Nachise
Sulfur Springs Valley, 67% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 13% Petite Sirah
This incredibly smooth desert (not dessert) wine is shockingly good from the get-go. I LOVE that it’s from Arizona. They make wine in Arizona? Right! It’s the kind of wine that makes you say, “whoa that’s effing good!” Unlike my fellow hipsters, I’m not that familiar with the lead singer of “Tool” or his music, but after drinking a bottle of his wine, I have to say I am most impressed. Unfortunately, I hardly have any tasting notes on it, but you really don’t need any. Just buy a bottle because it’s damn good. Wherever it’s sold, I definitely wouldn’t leave without a bottle in hand.

WHY: After our arachnid Magellan guided us down Foxen Canyon Road in Santa Maria Valley, we arrived at what was essentially the grand opening of FOXEN Winery’s brand new facility. In fact, we found our mötley crüe on a tour of the eco-conscious solar-powered winery and tasting room of FOXEN guided by none other than Dick and Jenny Doré, two of the four owners. Having the Dorés as our guides initially stunned us Hipsters, but just like sitting on Santa’s knee, if you don’t ask, you won’t receive. We drooled over the Rosé of Mourvèdre cases, salt’n’pepa’d them with questions about the energy consumption of the facility and discussed their new organic rows. After absorbing as much technical information as we could, we went inside to soak up their wine.

While we were tasting the regular flight, we were also lucky enough to experience the beautiful 2008 rosé we had lusted over in storage. In fact, it was Jenny who couldn’t help but notice the wine and label matched Jesse’s hair perfectly. It wasn’t long in the new tasting room before she convinced us to visit FOXEN’s original tasting room/shack half a mile away. As we sipped flights from one tasting room to the other, we knew reviewing just one wine wouldn’t work. We were but four hipsters staring into the vastness of FOXEN’s catalog. We knew we’d need a themed dinner party. Jenny was nice enough to give us a bottle of the Rosé and we bought two others for the dinner: the 2005 Vogelzang Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Mission Accomplished.

To start the dinner, Jesse made a kale, mesclun and bell pepper salad with homemade vinaigrette compiled from chili honey and ponzu. Luke topped the salad with pan-seared miso & ginger colossal white shrimp. There was a lot of flavor put forth in this salad, but what better way to let the rosé show us what it was made of? The Rosé of Mourvèdre has a bouquet and body suited for spicy or bold flavors. The sweet of the honey and miso combined brought out the crunchy crème brûlée and sweet watermelon nose, which followed through to the palate. Pairing this bottle with a kind of Cal-Asian fusion allowed for wonderful rusted raspberry, sea-salt and mineral notes aiding in a luscious mouth feel. Quite simply, this is a sexy wine.

The 2005 Vogelzang Cabernet Sauvignon was up next. For this bangin’ bottle, Luke made roasted rosemary and shallot lamb chops with rosemary bacon mashed potatoes. Before roasting, the chops were rubbed in salt, pepper and baking spices to compliment the warmth and complexity of the Cabernet. Luke’s strategy worked as we detected wonderful musk and oak that only a great cooper could have intended. This smart cab matched well with the richness of the lamb with tasting notes of burnt sugar smoke, the barrel, ending with a thin mint finish, etc., etc. This wine breathes so easy, smooth and fast, Renee exclaimed, “It’s like you’re dating a race car driver!” and then she flipped her hair and pigeon-toed her sexy boots. (Sexy boots!) Ultimately, we all agreed that one is more cultured after experiencing this wine.

For the last course, we purchased slices of triple chocolate tiger cake and raspberries to pair with FOXEN’s 2005 Mission Accomplished. This wine is made entirely of Mission grapes. The nose breathed chocolate, red delicious apples and baked pie-crust while we found pink lady apples and butterscotch on our tongues. This silky dessert wine was definitely something comfortable to slip into.

The Wrap: Pairing three wines with as many courses is a feat we highly recommend, especially if you can get your mitts on wines of FOXEN’s caliber. The 2008 Rosé of Mourvèdre has a rockin’ body combined with the minerality of a pinot gris. We recommend treating it like a Mourvèdre. Let it open up a little bit, sit down and eat something with it and do not chill it like your grandma’s white zin. For those bigger meals, it is hard to find a more developed, palate-exciting cab sav than the 2005 Vogelzang Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is phenomenal and could easily see more growth with age. Finally, the 2005 Mission Accomplished says it all in the name. This isn’t Bush aboard a battleship; this really was a victory. As for the migrating tarantula, we hope he found love.

The Château Duplantier Cuvée is an homage to Iris Rideau’s maiden name, Duplantier. We hear the 2006 vintage is a blend of syrah, mourvèdre, and grenache. However, we’re almost positive that the winemaker put tears of miniature ponies into this wine. Those tears of innocents prevent it from developing the soul-sucking tannins that can corrupt other big wines. Nothing dampens the fruit-forward nature of this complex California Rhône-style wine that follows through to the finish from soft cherry to black raspberry flavors. Even the hot spice on the nose of the wine can best be described as dried peppercorn fruits. The velvety mouth-feel of the wine even seems to contribute a vanilla bean character.

With zero distribution, ordering from the vineyard directly is the only way to get this gem, but we highly recommend visiting the Alamo Pintado Adobe in person. There, you can see the estate grown Rhône varietals, and visit the reserve tasting rooms tastefully decorated in Victorian era furniture with Creole sensibilities. With expansive lawns & tall trees, the grounds themselves lend a magical quality to this vineyard. While you’re there, you might hear Ol’ Blue Eyes himself serenading you with the grapes from concealed speakers. Don’t bother packing a picnic though, because they provide a delicious gourmet cuisine to complement the wine.

The Wrap: Although this wine is at a higher price point than wines we have reviewed thus far, this bottle is a rare gem that all of our palates agree on. If… When you go to the Rideau Vineyard to find out for yourself, stay a while. Immerse yourself in the beautiful surroundings, and enjoy a bottle or two. Keep an eye out on the farm across the street. As far as we know, every time a bottle of Duplantier is drank, a miniature pony gets its wings.

• WHY: If you ask Cellar Door, it is their ‘rising star’ winemaker, Carlotta Orradre. If you ask the wine’s website, it is their 3rd generation senior citizen growers and their progeny. But, if you ask Bodegas ADA Winery’s website, this wine doesn’t exist at all. What we do know is that the wine benefits from the extensive viticultural history of Lerga and the hamlet’s unique geographical position lying between Bordeaux and Rioja. When this label refers to old vines, they really mean ancient. At over a century’s age, the vines surrounding Lerga are an ampelographer’s wet dream.
• To start, the ‘07 Red Guitar has a big-ass, jammy nose. Immediately Ben had a butter knife at the ready. To our amazement, after being open 30 minutes to an hour this wine held onto its bouquet and didn’t peter off. We detected a rich scent of soil with its brightest notes being chewing tobacco and dried berries.
• Once tasted, true to the Tempranillo, we got a leathery, mild tobacco-chew taste. The Grenache brought out blackberry notes, but didn’t get all Rococo on us with berry and flourish. Despite an array of full flavors, the mouth-feel was disappointingly soft.
• The Wrap:Making dinner with your girlfriend? Bring it. This simple blend’s lack of complexity makes this an ideal wine to pairing from picnics to pizza. Yet, the perfect balance of the two flavors could easily lead someone to believe this bottle was a lot more expensive than it was, if only the label didn’t look so cheap. (Yes, minotaurs. Yes, a guitar. Okay, Bodegas ADA, we get that you like Picasso.)